ANZAC ingenuity

The Australian soldier has earned a reputation for ingenuity and improvisation in battle. So on ANZAC day here’s a little list of three suitably geeky improvisations.

One example of this at Gallipoli was the invention in May 1915 of the periscope rifle by Lance Corporal Beech of Sydney. Mirrors allowed the user to sight the rifle while completely invisible to the enemy.

Periscope rifle. Image: Dept. of Veteran Affairs.

Then there was the self-firing rifle which used dripping water pull the trigger and give the enemy the impression there were still soldiers in trenches that had been deserted.

Self-firing rifle. Image: Aust. War Memorial.

And there was the jam tin bomb. An empty jam tin filled with scrap metal, explosive and a short fuse. Both making and using these things was hazardous, but they proved extremely effective.